Before Jeremy Lin became one of the most popular stars in the NBA, he was an undrafted rookie out of Harvard trying to break racial stereotypes about Asian players. The reason no team selected him in the 2010 NBA Draft has been revealed by current Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey.
The 2010 NBA Draft is not the most loaded class in the league's history but it is composed of several All-Stars. John Wall was the first overall pick with other All-Stars like Paul George, DeMarcus Cousins and Gordon Hayward.
Other players from the draft include Evan Turner, Derrick Favors, Greg Monroe, Eric Bledsoe and Avery Bradley. Jeremy Lin was supposedly part of that draft class but he went undrafted due to a very ugly reason.
In an excerpt in Michael Lewis' book about people's judgment, Morey was one of the people interviewed. The Rockets GM revealed that they were interested in selecting Jeremy Lin in the first round of the 2010 NBA Draft.
However, racial bias played a part in their analysis and the Harvard product went undrafted, per Reddit user LorenzoMax. Morey added the Jeremy Lin passed their model and they were really tempted in drafting him.
"He's incredibly athletic. But the reality is that every s*** person, including me, thought he was unathletic. And I can't think of any reason for it other than he was Asian," Morey said.
That was almost seven years ago and Jeremy Lin a starting point guard in the NBA. However, he went through a lot before landing a three-year, $36 million deal with the Brooklyn Nets last summer. After going undrafted in 2010, he was signed by the Golden State Warriors.
Jeremy Lin made his name in 2012 when he went on a crazy run with the New York Knicks and it is when "Linsanity" was born, per FanSided. Although it was cut short by an injury to his knee and a very unstable Knicks front office, Lin was able to land a contract with Morey and the Rockets.
The 28-year-old point guard played two seasons in Houston before getting acquired by the Los Angeles Lakers. Jeremy Lin played one season in Hollywood, followed by a stint with the Charlotte Hornets wherein he established himself as one of the best penetrators in the league.
After his career year in Charlotte, Jeremy Lin signed with the Brooklyn Nets. Even though his season has been hampered by a hamstring injury, he has made the Nets a better team by being on the court since the All-Star break.
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